• November 1961 – sales office opens
• July 1962 – Building 1 opens
• December 1962 – Building 2 opens
• 1963/64 – Buildings 3 and 4 open
• 1965/66 – the North Tower is built
• 1967/68 – the South Tower is built
Horizon House at 30
Mary Moodie, a Horizon House shareholder, opened the first HH sales office for the Tishman Construction Company in November 1961. She had been working for Alan Tishman before HH was planned and was involved with HH from the beginning. She recently told HorizoNews that the idea for the complex originated with Alexander Summer, a prominent real estate developer and shareholder of HH, who purchased the small parcels of land that eventually became HH’s 32-acre park. Mr. Summer presented the project to Tishman, which undertook the construction, ownership, and management of Horizon House. In the course of her interview, Mary listed these milestones:
|
• March 1961 – ground
breaking • November 1961 – sales office opens • July 1962 – Building 1 opens • December 1962 – Building 2 opens • 1963/64 – Buildings 3 and 4 open • 1965/66 – the North Tower is built • 1967/68 – the South Tower is built |
The original sales office was in a building on the site of the present-day Midland Bank. The office had a scale model of Building 1 which duplicated the different levels of apartments, to give prospective tenants a clear idea of the choices available. In addition, a model split-level apartment was built into the sales office, which was a very effective inducement
Mary observed "HH was the greatest thing in apartment living and many captains of industry were original tenants." She remembers high-level managers from ITT, Curtis Wright, A&P, Brewster Construction, and Todd Shipyards. Famous tenants included WNEW’s Martin Block of the "Make Believe Ballroom," a popular music-and-talk program, and Brad van Pelt, a well-known football player. WNEW-TV’s anchorman, Bill Jorgensen, lived in a penthouse apartment in Building 1 for several years. To rent in HH in 1962, one had to have an annual income of about $10,000 and be able to afford $145 a month for a studio, $295 for a two-bedroom and $365 for a three—bedroom apartment, while penthouses started at $1300 per month.
The original plan for HH called for seven identical buildings, 50 feet apart, like buildings 1 and 2, but the Fort Lee Homeowners’ Association objected, and the courts agreed with their claim that such a string of buildings would block out light. To increase the space between buildings, therefore, Tishman decided to erect only mid-rises and two towers.
Glamour was the theme at the south pool, Mary recalls. In the first season, Florence Chadwick, the English Channel swimmer, managed the pool. Entertainment included shows with Tony Bennett, fashion reviews, and water ballet in the evenings. There were also water sports competitions and other social events. The tenants loved it! Many of their New York friends who came to special events as guests became tenants in Buildings 3 and 4.
From its heady youth, HH has settled into graceful middle age, but the memories of those early days will linger in the thoughts of the original tenants like Mary Moodie.
Reprinted from HorizoNews July 1991, Vol. 1, No. 7.
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